New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Opposition members staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The Leader of the House. J.P. Nadda, asserted that the Opposition had no agenda and did not want a discussion, while the government remained ready to debate all subjects. The disruption started after the House assembled following the laying of papers, reports and ministers’ statements.Congress member from Rajasthan, Pramod Tiwari, referred to Article 75, stressing that the Council of Ministers was collectively responsible to the House. He demanded the presence of the Home Minister in the House.Treasury benches objected, but Chairman Radhakrishnan allowed him to speak before declining his point of order, stating it was not related to the listed business, and permitted other members to raise issues with the Chair’s permission.

Despite the proceedings moving forward, Opposition members continued sloganeering “Home Minister Sadan Mein Aao (Home Minister come to the House)", drowning out other voices. Several members then highlighted regional and sectoral concerns.Prakash Chik Baraik of the BJP from West Bengal and Sanjay Singh of the AAP raised the problems of sugarcane farmers in Uttar Pradesh.Ghanshyam Tiwari of the BJP spoke on drinking water scarcity in the Shekhawati area of Rajasthan.Kanad Purkayastha of the BJP sought establishment of a logistics park under the PM Gati Shakti project in Assam.Govindbhai Laljibhai Dholakia from Gujarat called for promotion of natural farming across India.Rekha Sharma of the BJP from Haryana drew attention to wastage of leftover food prepared by Indian Railways for passengers and suggested it be provided to the needy instead of being discarded.

Chairman Radhakrishnan next allowed Congress member Rajiv Shukla, who observed that the House was not in order and that what the Opposition wished to say would not come on record.Pramod Tiwari was again permitted to speak. He reiterated the demand for the Home Minister’s presence, citing collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers under the Constitution for formal answers. He referred to the fact that when it was a “matter of lathi charge and bullets” used on students, the Home Minister must show up in the House and reply.Chairman Radhakrishnan ruled that the point of order was not linked to the List of Business and called Dorjee Tshering Lepcha of the BJP from Sikkim.At this stage, Opposition members staged a walkout. Lepcha raised the issue of yak conservation in Sikkim.Leader of the House J.P. Nadda then addressed the House. He said the Opposition members were collectively in the habit of shifting the goalpost even though the Modi-led government was always ready to discuss all issues.

Whenever discussions took place, he added, the Opposition fell flat.Nadda condemned the Opposition’s role and assured the House that the government stood prepared to discuss every matter, describing the Opposition’s conduct as utterly irresponsible.Earlier, the Rajya Sabha conducted significant business related to external affairs, science, earth sciences and culture.Dr John Brittas and Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh laid the 14th and 15th reports of the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.Dr Jitendra Singh made statements on the status of implementation of recommendations contained in the reports of the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change concerning Demands for Grants (2026-27) for the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Earth Sciences, respectively.Gajendra Singh Shekhawat made a statement on the status of implementation of recommendations in the report on demands for grants (2025-26) pertaining to the Ministry of Culture.The House continued with its listed agenda.

/IANS